


The Christmas Sweater Tradition

by literaryoblivion



Series: Tumblr Ficlets [25]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst, Christmas, Christmas Eve, Feels, First Kiss, Hale Family Feels, M/M, Stilinski Family Feels, Traditions, Ugly Holiday Sweaters, Ugly Sweaters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-26
Updated: 2013-12-26
Packaged: 2018-01-06 05:16:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1102860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/literaryoblivion/pseuds/literaryoblivion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The pack's all set for places to go for Christmas, that is everyone except Derek. So Stiles invites Derek to spend Christmas and the days leading up to it with him and his dad. He just has to be okay with their one firm tradition.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Christmas Sweater Tradition

**Author's Note:**

> I apologize that this is belated by like an hour (it's still Christmas somewhere right?!). But please enjoy it anyway. This was written based off the prompt by [sobrietymoose](http://sobrietymoose.tumblr.com): "Stiles finds out that Derek is spending Christmas alone, Isaac is spending it with Scott and Allison, so Stiles invites him over. Shenanigans ensue. Sexy shenanigans are good. Also ugly Christmas sweater shenanigans. Shenanigans in general really."
> 
> But then after a convo it turned into me making it sad and her telling me I better write the sad version. So here's the sad. Sorry. Prepare for a lot of feels of both Hale and Stilinski variety. (Also, I tweaked the prompt a little more by implying some Scott/Isaac. I assumed Allison would spend Christmas with her dad.)
> 
> This was cross-posted on Tumblr [here](http://literaryoblivion.tumblr.com/post/71184334802/the-christmas-sweater-tradition).

“And… that’s everyone. You’re just going to be with your dad, right?” asks Scott.

“Yup. So… you and Isaac, huh?” Stiles says as he lifts one eyebrow up and down suggestively.

Scott shoves at his shoulder, causing Stiles to come perilously close to falling off his stool. “Shut up! It’s… not like that. His foster family is going out of town, and he doesn’t really want to go with them. Everyone else in the pack will be with their families, so, he’s coming with us to my Abuela’s. My mom said it was cool. Dude, you said you were going to help me with these, and all you’ve been doing is eating the icing.”

Stiles subtly pulls his finger out of the bowl of frosting, but it of course has frosting on it, so he brings it up to his mouth to lick it off. “I’m taste testing. You know quality control, that sort of thing. It’s a tough job, but someone’s gotta do it.” He smiles wide at Scott who rolls his eyes. “Your mom didn’t say they _all_ had to be frosted, right?”

Scott shrugs and continues icing cookies. Mrs. McCall had asked them to help decorate Christmas cookies for her work’s holiday party, and all Scott really remembers of that conversation is that his mom promised if he and Stiles helped, they could eat some. She probably meant they could eat some _after_ she had what she needed for the party, but… he and Stiles may have been snacking on them throughout the decorating process.

“So Derek’s going down and spending Christmas with Cora? Isn’t she in like Mexico or something?” Stiles asks after reluctantly taking up a knife to spread icing on cookies instead of using it as a delivery system to his mouth.

Scott looks up, puzzled. “What?”

“You said everyone in the pack’s gonna be with family. Is Derek visiting Cora for Christmas? Or she coming up here?”

Scott frowns and puts on a rather guilty face. “I… uh… wasn’t counting Derek. I don’t know what he’s doing.”

Stiles mouth falls open. “Wasn’t counting him? Dude!”

“I know! I’m sorry! I just… I didn’t think about it. It’s been weird ever since he came back. Besides he’s an adult, okay? It’s not like he tells me his plans!” Scott pauses and squints as if trying to remember if Derek did actually tell him his plans. He shakes his head. “But… I doubt he’s going to visit Cora. He told me he left her for a reason, and while I don’t think it was necessarily a bad reason… I think they’re better off being away from each other.”

“We can’t just let him sit in that loft and sulk all Christmas break!”

Scott sets his knife and cookie down on the counter and rests his palms on it as if trying to gather strength. “Stiles, I’ve _tried_ talking to him. I can’t help if he doesn’t want it.” Man, when did Scott get so wise? “If you’re worried about it, ask him. Maybe you could invite him to spend Christmas with you and your dad. It might be good… for both of you.”

“Dude, this sage, old alpha thing you have going on still throws me off,” Stiles says with a smirk.

Scott shoves him again playfully, only he misjudges his strength and knocks Stiles off the stool this time. Stiles gives him a shock, hurt look, and Scott shrugs, not appearing sorry in the slightest. Stiles shoots up off the floor and tackles Scott to the ground, who takes a tray of finished cookies with them.

They both stare at the crumbs and smears of frosting on the ground next to them, frozen on the spot.

“Uh… no one will be able to tell if they are store-bought, right?” Stiles asks.

Scott groans. “You are helping me bake replacements, and you’re not eating _any_ of them.” He starts gathering up the crumbs into a pile.

Stiles pouts as he grunts out, “Fine.” Then he takes a few of the crumbs off the ground and puts them in his mouth. Scott gives him a slightly disgusted face, and Stiles answers, “What? Five second rule,” to which Scott rolls his eyes and continues cleaning up the mess.

~

After a series of invasive (by Stiles) and evasive (by Derek) texts, Stiles determines that Derek is indeed planning on spending the whole of Christmas break sulking in his loft.

_Stiles, I will not be ‘sulking.’ Peace and quiet and time to myself does not mean sulking._

**Uh yes it is if you do it for two weeks.**

Once he clears it with his dad, he does what Scott had suggested and invites Derek over for Christmas.

**If you can find time during your “not sulking,” you’re welcome to come over to my house.**

_When?_

Stiles pauses before answering. Is Derek asking when because he wants to know when they eat or something?

**We usually have our Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve, but I’ll be home all break. So if you get bored or something, you can come over. You can be bored with me.** **:)**

_Okay._

Uh, okay. Stiles leaves it at that, his duty done. Although, he kind of hopes Derek will take him up on his offer because he can only watch so many things on Netflix and play video games alone while his dad is at work and all his friends are on vacation.

~

It takes a few days, but Derek does take him up on his offer to be boring together (“Bored, not ‘boring,’ dude. I am _never_ boring.”) and arrives at Stiles’s with Chinese takeout.

“Man, did you read my mind? Is telepathy another werewolf power I’m not aware of?” Stiles says when he opens the door.

Derek rolls his eyes and holds up the food like he’s willing to turn around and take it with him if Stiles is going to keep him standing on the porch any longer. Stiles sighs and waves him in, shutting the door behind him. Derek stands in the entryway looking so awkward that even Stiles feels sorry for him.

“But seriously, I was just going to order a pizza or something and watch a movie, so excellent timing. Uh, are you a eat out-of-the-box-type person, or do you need a plate?”

Derek shakes his head minutely. “Box is fine.”

“Awesome. Well, come on in. You have your choice of seating in the living room, but choose wisely,” Stiles gestures like Vanna White to the couch and recliner, and when Derek doesn’t move he shrugs and goes to his usual spot in the right hand corner of the couch. It has the best view of the TV, in his opinion, and armrests are ideal. No one ever wants to sit in the middle of a couch unless they absolutely have to.

It seems like that’s what Derek was waiting for because once Stiles plops down, he finally walks into the living room and takes the opposite end of the couch from Stiles. He sets the bag of take out on the coffee table in front of them and methodically takes out each container and opens it to see what’s inside, like he can’t even remember what he ordered.

Stiles scoots closer to the middle towards the coffee table. “So, what all did you get?”

“I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I got their popular dishes.”

“Which ones?”

“Uh… all of them?” Derek says sheepishly.

Stiles opens his mouth, too stunned to say anything because if he does it might be something like how much he loves Derek, which could definitely be taken the wrong way and make Derek all growly and unbearable. He snaps it shut and starts again.

“Awesome! Who doesn’t love left over Chinese?”

Derek visibly relaxes at the comment, and Stiles wonders why Derek was so worked up over something like Chinese food.

“I’m not sure which is which…”

“It’s all good, dude. I’ll eat whatever,” Stiles says as he grabs a pair of chopsticks and the container closest to him. He scoots back to his corner and adds, “Thanks for bringing food.”

Derek gives a firm nod and picks a box of his own to dig into. Stiles turns his attention to the TV and scrolls through Netflix.

“You feel like watching anything in particular?” he asks Derek who has just put a piece of chicken in his mouth.

He shakes his head no while he chews, then swallows before he says, “Whatever you were planning on watching is fine.”

“I hope you’re ready for a whole lot of Christmas movies then because I am behind in my seasonally themed movies.” Derek shrugs like he couldn’t care less, so Stiles picks the first title he recognizes from the “Holiday Favorites” category. It’s _National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation_ , a classic!, and once the credits start Stiles starts eating.

“Man, I don’t know what this is, but it’s really good. You need to try this,” Stiles says around a mouthful and shoves the box and his hand holding up his chopsticks with a piece of delicious meat on it.

Stiles suddenly realizes it looks like he’s trying to feed Derek, which is _not_ his intention in the slightest. He was only holding it up to show Derek what it was and then he could take his own utensils to get a piece of his own.

Only, it’s too late, and Derek’s leaning forward to take the piece of pork from Stiles’s chopsticks with his mouth. Stiles chokes back a strangled sound as he watches Derek’s face as he chews it and licks his lips clean of the sauce. Seriously, no one should look that good while eating.

Derek leans back, “It is good. I think that’s moo shu pork.”

Stiles makes a face like “yes that makes sense,” but really he’s still recovering from what the hell just happened. He accidentally fed Derek, and Derek hadn’t even raised an eyebrow at him! He’s still leaning toward Derek, the box held aloft in his hand when Derek offers his own chopsticks full of food to Stiles.

“This is just sweet and sour chicken,” he says when Stiles hasn’t moved to accept the morsel. Stiles bobs his head and takes the food with his mouth because he doesn’t want to be rude. Clearly Derek is not making a big deal about this, so he shouldn’t either. They are just two guys sharing food while watching comedic Christmas shenanigans.

The whole feeding each other continues though, and as it does Stiles feels less and less awkward about it. After they each finish off a box, Stiles gets up to get them drinks and waves Derek off when he makes a move to pause the movie. When he gets back he sits a little closer to the middle, something Derek’s already done.

By the end of the movie, Derek and Stiles are sitting right next to each other in the middle of the couch (because easier to share that way, duh), both full from their Chinese feast. There are some leftovers because Derek had bought a _ton_.

Stiles groans when Derek shifts to put the food away. “It was that last egg roll,” Stiles mutters in pain, curling in on himself. “It did me in… that and Chevy Chase. Not a good combo.”

Derek snorts, “I’ll be sure to remind you of that if it happens again.” He picks up the boxes that still have food and takes them into the kitchen.

It takes Stiles a minute, but he finally gets up from the couch and gathers the empty ones to throw away. “Oh hey, we forgot about our fortune cookies!” He takes them out of the bag before he throws it away and hands a couple to Derek, keeping a couple for himself.

Derek quirks an eyebrow. “You just complained about eating too much and now you’re going to eat fortune cookies?”

“Nah, I don’t ever eat them. I just read the fortunes. You go first.”

Derek rips into his first one and cracks it open to reveal the slip of paper. “Don’t let the past and useless detail choke your existence,” Derek reads, finishing with a pained, choked-off look. Wow, talk about surprisingly accurate fortunes.

Before Derek has time to get worked up about it, Stiles breaks open his and reads it. “Do not underestimate yourself. Human beings have unlimited potentials…. Uh, wow.” Stiles is starting to freak about these fortunes because they are not supposed to be this exact and serious. They’re supposed to be random and hilarious when you add “in bed” at the end of them.

Stiles opens his next one and hopes and prays it will lighten the mood. “A pleasant surprise is waiting for you in bed.” Stiles giggles as Derek’s eyes widen and his eyebrows shoot up.

“It does not say that,” Derek says and throws his hand out like he’s going to take Stiles’s fortune out of his grasp to prove it. Stiles holds it away so he can’t reach it. Derek doesn’t move to wrestle him for it, something Scott would have done, and Stiles is almost sad that he doesn’t. Instead Derek crosses his arms and waits for an answer.

“Okay, so I added the ‘in bed’ part. You’ve never done that before?”

“Uh, no,” Derek says in a voice that screams that that is a preposterous and extremely childish idea.

“Come on, open your other one.”

Derek is hesitant and slow to open his last cookie, either because it could be startlingly real again or because Stiles could make it into something naughty and embarrassing. “Now is the time to try something new.”

“In bed,” Stiles adds for him with a grin. Derek’s cheeks flush along with the tips of his ears, and Stiles thinks he looks adorable, which he realizes is kind of an odd thought for him to be having about Derek.

Derek clears his throat. “I put what was left on the bottom shelf.”

“Awesome! Thanks. And thanks for bringing it over.”

“You’re welcome. I should… uh… get going,” Derek says, thumbing over his shoulder at the front door.

“Oh, yeah,” Stiles says as he follows Derek to the door, tamping down the tinge of disappointment that Derek isn’t sticking around for longer.

“Thanks for inviting me,” Derek says.

“Of course, anytime,” Stiles says as Derek opens the door. Before he leaves completely, though, Stiles adds, “So… uh, are you coming back tomorrow? Cause if you are, you gotta tell me what toppings you like on your pizza.”

Derek’s lips curl up in a half-smile. “Pepperoni and sausage. Same time?”

“Yup.”

“Good night,” Derek says over his shoulder when he steps back onto the porch.

“Night! See you tomorrow,” Stiles calls out after him.

As Stiles gets ready for bed, he reviews the night’s events and doesn’t know what to make of them.

After Derek had gotten over his initial nervousness, he seemed relaxed and wholly comfortable with Stiles. Enough to just accept food off his fork like it was nothing. And it didn’t bother Stiles in the slightest. What bothered him were the images his mind provided of Derek eating things from Stiles’s fingers, or Derek licking stray sauce off Stiles’s lips instead of his own.

If there was going to be more feeding each other, Stiles was going to have to wear a blanket.

~

Dinner and movie night with Derek became a regular thing over the next several days. Sometimes Derek would show up earlier and ask Stiles if he’d want to go for a run or get lunch somewhere, and then stay well into the evening playing video games or cards, or board games if the Sheriff was around.

And every evening, they drifted closer and closer to each other on the couch.

It was pleasant, and Stiles didn't mind the extra warmth or the feeling of safety or security he felt when Derek slung his arm over his shoulders and pressed in closer to him.

On the eve of Christmas Eve, Derek is in the kitchen making sandwiches for Stiles, the Sheriff, and himself while Stiles showers off their morning run. The Sheriff doesn't bat an eye at the fact that the man he had arrested on several occasions is now in his kitchen making him lunch, that is how used to seeing Derek he's gotten.

"You're coming over tomorrow for the festivities, right?" the Sheriff asks when Derek sets down his completed, quite healthy looking (darn it) sandwich.

“If that’s alright? I don’t want to intrude on your family time—“

The Sheriff held up his hand. “With how much you’ve been over here lately and how well you know your way around my kitchen,” he says gesturing to the sandwich, “you’re practically family already.” Derek ducks his head, not sure how to respond. The Sheriff doesn’t let him. “I was asking because we usually do our Christmas presents and everything tomorrow since I have to work the overnight shift. I’m sure Stiles will let you know what else you need to bring, but just because you’re a guest doesn’t mean you get to skip out on it.”

“Uh… alright?” Derek says, completely puzzled as to what Christmas tradition the Stilinski family does that would make Derek want to avoid it.

The Sheriff doesn’t seem to notice Derek’s concern and starts on his sandwich. “This is really good. Thanks,” he says after a few bites.

Derek smiles. “You’re welcome.” He continues on his own sandwich, listening to Stiles turn off the shower and pad around in his room. Then he remembers that the Sheriff had said presents, and he hasn’t gone shopping and has no idea what to get either of them. He looks up at the Sheriff in a slight panic. “Uh, I don’t really know what to get—“

“Don’t worry about it, son. We don’t need anything. Although… if you were to say pick up a box of chocolates for me, Stiles wouldn’t be able to steal them away because they were a gift…” the Sheriff says with a wink.

Derek lets out a small laugh. “Got it.”

“Got what?” Stiles says, walking into the kitchen, his hair still damp and dripping from the shower.

“Oh, nothing,” the Sheriff says, looking way too innocent for his answer to be true, but Stiles doesn’t test him on it. He finishes off his sandwich and stands to take his plate to the sink. “I better get to work. Thanks for lunch, Derek.” Derek hums, and the Sheriff pats him on the back when he walks past. He stops behind Stiles and grips the back of his neck a little too tightly if Stiles’s wince is anything to go by.

“I haven’t done anything!” Stiles says immediately.

“I didn’t say you did…. You should probably tell Derek here what all is happening tomorrow, or we’re going to scare him off.”

Stiles hunches down in his seat. “Oh right… I was gonna!”

“Uh huh.” He pats Stiles on the back and chuckles as he gathers his things to leave. “Oh, and Derek, you’re more than welcome to spend the night. Stiles usually makes breakfast on Christmas morning when I get off my shift. No point in you driving home and driving all the way back.”

Derek looks surprised at the offer, and he glances at Stiles who looks like he both agrees with his dad and is hopeful Derek will say yes. “Thanks, sir. I’ll… think about it.”

“Please, call me John. Welp, I’ll see you boys later. Don’t get into trouble.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, Dad!” Stiles calls over his shoulder. He hears a sarcastic mutter of “yeah right” before the door shuts. He turns back to Derek to see his brows furrowed and a small frown on his face. “What? It’s not like I _mean_ to get in trouble,” he mumbles before he takes a huge bite in his sandwich.

“Should I be scared of what you guys do on Christmas Eve?” Derek asks.

“Uh, no? I mean… it might be a little embarrassing, but I think you can handle it. Scott loves it, and really I can’t wait to see you in one,” Stiles looks up, picturing it, and giggles in glee. “Scott is gonna be upset he can’t see it in person.”

“See me in what?” Derek asks, frustrated.

“You’ll see. Today, we’re going shopping.”

~

It takes them forty minutes to find a parking spot because Stiles insists that they go to the mall. He tells Derek that there’s a few more presents he needs to get, and Derek doesn’t argue because he has to get something for Stiles and the Sheriff from him, too. They agree to meet back up at the food court in an hour, and they split up.

Derek wanders the crowded stores in a daze because even though the Sheriff said to get him candy, he thinks Stiles wouldn’t like him much if he did. He thinks about getting him a tie, but it seems like too much of a dad gift. He asks a couple salespeople for help and settles with a bottle of aftershave that doesn’t bother his sensitive nose for the Sheriff, and a very warm comfortable looking hoodie for Stiles. He also decides to get them both matching Beardos because he suspects that the Sheriff will get as much of a kick out of it as Stiles will.

On his way back to meet Stiles, he passes a candy shop and stops in to get a small box of chocolates for the Sheriff, but he’ll give it to him when Stiles isn’t around.

“Get everything you need?” Stiles says when Derek approaches him, both of them carrying shopping bags.

“Yes. Is it alright if I borrow some wrapping paper when we get home to wrap a few things?”

“Course!” Stiles says with a small smile. He turns toward one of the restaurants and lifts a shoulder for Derek to follow.

It doesn’t even register to Derek that he called Stiles’s house “home” until he’s in line behind Stiles waiting to order. And when he realizes it, he’s not as surprised or upset as he thinks he should be. He’s spent enough time with Stiles even outside of the concentrated amount they had this last week to be comfortable with him. Perhaps the extra time and closeness with Stiles has only made it more so. Stiles acts differently when he's with the others, especially with Scott, something Derek has found both annoying and until recently inherently Stiles. But this last week, with all the time they've spent together, their scents melding, sharing food, laughs, touches, body heat... it's no wonder that Derek would call Stiles's place home. It's been more like home than anything he's had in a long while.

They eat quickly since the place is packed. Stiles interjects some of the funny things he saw while shopping between bites to Derek's nods and hums of amusement. Once they finish and clear off the table is when Stiles breaks the news of the scary Christmas tradition.

"So I found some good ones while I was shopping, so we'll see those first. If not we'll have to stop at the thrift store on the way home." He and Derek are standing rather close to each other off to the side at the entrance to the food court.

"Found what, Stiles?! What do you and your dad wear?! I am not wearing a dress or lingerie in front of your dad."

"First off eww! Like I would want to see my dad in lingerie?! That is so wrong on so many levels!"  Stiles makes a gagging noise, and a woman makes a disgusted face as she walks by them. He sticks his tongue out at her when she no longer can see them. He turns back to Derek and steps closer to him. "And two... _Just_ in front of my dad? Are you saying you'd wear it for someone else?" He looks up at Derek through his eyelashes, and Derek's cheeks pink. Stiles seems to have a way of getting Derek to say things he doesn't realize lately. And truth be told... He would wear it... For someone in private, someone he trusted, that he cared about, that he felt comfortable around, someone like Stiles. He doesn't say that though.

"Then what is it that's so bad your dad felt like he needed to prepare me for it?"

"It is not that bad! He's just exaggerating. Come with me. I'll show you," Stiles said, grabbing his hand and yanking him along to one of the department stores.

~

"An ugly sweater?" Derek says when Stiles holds it up to his chest.

"An ugly _Christmas_ sweater. There's a difference. And yeah. We get new ones every year, but Dad and I got ours a couple weeks ago. So we just need to find one for you. What do you think of this one?"

"It has light bulbs on it," Derek says monotone and lifeless.

"Yeah? You're right, if they lit up it'd be cooler."

Derek gives him a sassy look because that is _not_ what he said, but Stiles is too busy thumbing through the rack for another one to notice. He picks out another and holds it up against Derek’s chest. This one is burgundy with a large bright green Christmas tree covering the front with gold threaded garland and various colored baubles, and thank god it doesn’t have pompoms for ornaments. It’s not as bad as the first one, but that isn’t saying much.

“Maybe I can sit this tradition out?” Derek suggests jokingly.

Except Stiles doesn’t take it as a joke and looks hurt, and Derek can hear his heart beat pick up. Derek always thought it was Scott and Isaac who competed for best kicked puppy look, but Stiles is giving them a run for their money at the moment. “You can’t! You heard what Dad said!” For a moment Stiles sounds like he is either going to cry or scream, but quickly he seems to rein it in and start again. “Sorry, I just… it’s… tradition, and….” He lets out a huff. “No, it’s fine. I don’t want to force you, it’s okay,” he says hanging the sweater back up.

Derek reaches out for Stiles’s hand before he can walk away from the rack and presumably out of the store all together. He pulls him back towards him until they are standing with only a few inches of space between him. Stiles has his head down and off to the side and refuses to look up at him. Gently, Derek tilts Stiles’s face up with a finger on his chin. He waits until Stiles finally meets his eyes.

“I’m sorry if I upset you. I can get a sweater.”

“No, I don’t want you to feel like you have to. I’m sorry.”

“No,” Derek says, firm, “I want to.” He turns to the rack and thumbs through it. He picks one that’s somewhere between the first and the second in terms of ugliness factor. It is a dark blue with a white snowmen border and a few large reindeer on the front. One of them has a bright red sequin for a nose, and a few of the snowmen have sequins for eyes. “How about this one?” He says holding it up to himself for Stiles’s approval.

Stiles gives him a half-smile and mumbles, “That’s not very ugly though.”

Derek looks down and thinks Stiles is right. He puts it back and picks the first one with the light bulbs. “I can always wear a strand of lights if I need to,” he says as they walk toward the register, and Stiles laughs.

“I can’t wait to see that,” Stiles says.

~

They come back to the house, and Stiles retreats to his bedroom while Derek stays in the living room, both of them wrapping their respective presents. When Derek has placed his for the Sheriff and Stiles under the tree, he goes upstairs to Stiles’s bedroom and knocks.

“You can come in, I’m done wrapping,” he calls out.

Derek opens the door to find Stiles sitting on his bed holding a sweater, his hands running along the folds and pattern. He can’t tell from where he’s standing, but Derek thinks it must be Stiles’s ugly Christmas sweater. He comes to sit down next to Stiles on the bed, their knees and thighs pressed next to one another. Stiles doesn’t move away, and when Derek puts an arm around his shoulders, Stiles leans into him.

“It was my mom who started it,” he says. Derek rubs his hand up and down Stiles’s arm, and he continues, “The ugly Christmas sweater thing, I mean. She used to love them. She would scour the after Christmas sales every year to see if she could find an even gaudier one for the next Christmas. We would all look terrible in them, but she loved it. Said it made us more festive.”

He laughs. “She had this one that had these tiny jingle bells all over it. You could hear her in any room. … We still have them, all of hers and our old ones that don’t fit anymore, up in the attic. She used to keep them up there and bring them all down every year with all the other Christmas decorations.” He sighs, tears welling up in his eyes. “When she… after she… after. It became the one thing my dad was still okay with doing every year. The one thing he and I do to remember her.”

Derek pulls him in closer, his other arm coming up to cross across Stiles’s chest for a hug. Stiles holds onto Derek’s forearm and rests his head against his shoulder, his tears creating a wet spot on his shirt, but Derek doesn’t mind. He understands; his family and their loss is one of the reasons he was going to spend it alone. He wouldn’t have to pretend around other people like it didn’t hurt, that he didn’t feel empty. But it was obvious he wouldn’t have to pretend with Stiles and his dad because they understood too. And maybe that would mean it wouldn’t hurt as much, knowing he wasn’t alone, or didn’t have to be.

The tears and sniffs stop, and when they do, Stiles rubs his nose and wipes his eyes. He tries to wipe at Derek’s shirt and mutters a “Sorry.” Derek shrugs and tells him not to worry about it. Derek loosens his arms around Stiles, so that he can leave them if he wants to, but Stiles doesn’t move.

“My family,” Derek starts, “every Christmas Eve, we had to sing all the verses of the 12 Days of Christmas with the actions.”

Stiles looks up, his head tilted. “There’s actions?”

Derek snorts, “Yeah, embarrassing ones. And we all had to do them, adults included. My grandma always got out of it since she played the song on the piano, and if my mom or one of my aunts were pregnant, they sat out and watched. After… when it was just Laura and I. We didn’t do the actions, just the two of us, but we would sing it. Tradition, you know.” He can feel Stiles nod his head, his hair brushing against Derek’s neck.

“But ever since Laura… I… Well, I haven’t done either since.” Derek’s voice is small and broken, and he can feel his own tears threatening to fall.

Stiles twists and wraps his arms around Derek’s waist and nuzzles into his neck. Derek squeezes him tighter, and it’s good; it’s comforting, and he’s grateful he has Stiles in his arms, that he’s told someone about his family and shared a piece of him, of them, and that it was Stiles. Stiles presses his lips to Derek’s neck, and Derek closes his eyes, letting the tears drop.

They stay wrapped around each other for a few moments. Neither one seems eager to separate, but eventually they pull back enough to look at each other. Before Derek can wipe away the wetness, Stiles kisses it away, off his eyelashes, his cheeks, then hesitates to move away, his lips hovering at the corner of Derek’s mouth. Derek turns his head and catches Stiles’s lips with his own. His lips are soft and, when Derek licks them, a little salty from the tears. Stiles parts his lips when Derek licks over their seam and moans when Derek’s tongue enters his mouth, gliding over his.

Before things get too heated between them, Derek slows it down, resting a palm against Stiles’s cheek, nipping at his bottom lip as he pulls away.

Stiles’s eyes are wide when he looks into them, like he can’t believe they kissed. Derek gives him a half-smile, and it seems to be enough to relax Stiles to return one of his own. He can’t help himself, and Derek leans back in to give Stiles another peck on the lips. Stiles beams. After a moment, the smile fades and he looks timid before he asks,

“Derek, do you think, maybe, you could teach my dad and me the actions to the song? If that’s all right? It sounds fun.” He bites his bottom lip, waiting for Derek’s answer.

“Yes,” he replies slowly. “I would be happy to do that.” Stiles grins and kisses him again.

~

The Stilinski-Hale Christmas Eve is a success and ends with their stomachs full of great food, their sides sore from laughing at their crazy sweaters and attempts at learning and teaching a new tradition, and their hearts full of warmth and love from the hugs and presents.

When the Sheriff finally leaves for work, Derek does spend the night, warm in Stiles’s bed, curled around him under the covers.

**Author's Note:**

> For those that are curious, [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gi4wqze3qJ8) is the best video I could find of the actions to 12 Days of Christmas (a tradition my family always does). I will note that in the video, it looks like the same action is done for both the turtle doves and the geese a-laying, but my family flaps our arms out, fully extended, like a bird for the turtle dove. *shrug* We also tend to speed up the song, getting faster with every verse, because it makes it hilarious (and by the end we're tired and want to be done).
> 
> Come say hello and fangirl with me on my [Tumblr](http://literaryoblivion.tumblr.com)!


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